SOHO20 is pleased to present Black and Blue, Part II of the 2015/2016 annual member group exhibition. Black and Blue features artist members Martha Edelheit, Anne Elliott, Lannie Hart, Nana Olivas, Eleonora Tammes, and Gayle Tanaka.

The exhibition’s title is a common referent to a contusion that exists below the surface of the skin – one that can be visible, but often does not accurately relay the depth of injury that had taken place. Likewise, the metaphoric use of these two colors is deeply embedded in our language as a signifier for the residue of a masked trauma – both physical and emotional

The black and blue palettes that are overarchingly present in these works hint at subtle but complex emotional state hidden just below the surface. Through both figurative and abstract paintings, drawings, and mixed media collages and prints, this exhibition exhumes an elaborately sensitive space. In this group of dark, yet vivacious works, nothing is explicit; rather, the artists’ objectives and passions are woven through layers of figures and materials. The selection is notably rich and saturated, with deep histories embedded in each layer of viscous color and texture. Through their intricacies, the artworks in Black and Blue all demand that we linger, in order to understand how our senses can navigate these deep, dark spaces.